


Written In The Stars

by ballpointpennn



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Dragon AU, Eventual Smut, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, zodiac sign AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 07:18:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16236875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballpointpennn/pseuds/ballpointpennn
Summary: What would you do if you lived in a world where everyone was meant to fall in love based on their compatibility?A universe where dragons are real and cats are mythical,where people rather believe in the stars than in equality.Cities named after flowers, nations named after elements.4 Districts, ruling in what they call "harmony".If only Yoon Jeonghan could remember what his world was really like before he lost an entire life of memories...





	1. Papaver Somniferum

**Author's Note:**

> Hello babies,  
> This is something new, I know.  
> And although I swore I had something against fanfic sites,, I happen not to have something against AO3.  
> So here I am, I hope you guys like it.  
> I wanted it to be readable for my readers with bad eyesight.  
> I love you!  
> Lots of love, ballpointpennn ❤️

The rain was falling from the sky on a dark Friday evening. Jeonghan would've sworn that if it had been dragon tears, the whole town would be flooded by now. He was walking home from yet another long day of work and couldn't wait to be in his lovely little home.

He felt warm thinking of sinking into the sofa with a cup of hot milk, just staring into the dancing flames of the fireplace. He took a turn to the left and entered his street. The lights behind the windows of Draconis were still on and Jeonghan quickened his steps.

He was soaked and felt so uncomfortable. He quickly grabbed his keys and opened the front door. A tiny little squeal came from across the room and a panicked "No!" came right after.

Jeonghan looked to his right and saw Ippi, the Two-tailed Airhead pet of his friends, fly across the room towards him. Seungkwan ran after her, scared of what was going to happen. Jeonghan chuckled as the little dragon managed to land on his shoulder without breaking anything along the way.

"Oh my god. Don't you ever do that again." Seungkwan scolded. Ippi let out a little whine and cuddled up against Jeonghan's neck. She stuck her little tongue out and clung to Jeonghan, who was now giggling because it tickled. Seungkwan's tired pout turned into a tired smile.

"She wanted to wait for you. So we stayed up together. Hansol's already asleep upstairs." He said, helping Jeonghan take his wet jacket off, "How was work?" Seungkwan asked. Jeonghan huffed tiredly. His job was boring, but it paid the bills. "Same old thing, Kwannie. Rude customers and a rude boss." He sighed.

Seungkwan nodded understandingly. "Let's go upstairs and have a cup of warm milk, okay? I bet this Libra-loving Airhead will enjoy that too." Seungkwan said, knowing very well that Ippi understood him. Jeonghan laughed and took Ippi in his arms, to make sure the wild little thing wouldn't fly into anything. 

It was exactly how Jeonghan had imagined. He had taken a shower and got dressed into a pair of sweats and that warm red sweater Seungkwan had made for him. He was now nestled in the soft sofa, holding a cup of warm milk in his hands, staring into the little sea of flames.

Seungkwan was in the other sofa, feeding Ippi some warm milk from a little dragonproof bottle. Not because he had to, but because the dragon had a thing for human food. Jeonghan loved the fact that Seungkwan and Ippi got along so well, despite the fact that he was an Earth Sign and Ippi was an airdragon. Her silver scales were glistening because of the fire and her brown eyes had never looked more beautiful.

Jeonghan remembered how scared she had been when they had met for the first time. She had been wounded badly, but thankfully Hansol was there to take care of her. Jeonghan was fascinated by dragons, he had always been. Well, for as far as he could remember. Jeonghan always wondered about his past, but on the other hand, maybe it was better like this. Maybe he had chosen not to remember.

"Hey, Jeonghannie. I'm going to sleep. Hansol and I have a lot of appointments tomorrow and I want to be awake." Seungkwan announced, his eyes nearly falling shut. "Alright, come here Ipps." Jeonghan said in a sweet voice, making the dragon raise her head and wag her tail. She wiggled her butt and pushed herself off of Seungkwan's lap, flying over to Jeonghan succesfully. Jeonghan petted her head proudly. "Good girl." He cooed. Seungkwan glared at them playfully. "Sneaky little beast." He said, shaking his head with a fond smile, "Whenever she's with me, she just flies into anything she sees. But when Jeonghan's around nooo, ofcourse not!" The man stood up and wished them a good night, before going into his shared room with Hansol and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

Jeonghan put their empty cups in the sink and went off to bed as well. He crawled into bed with Ippi, who decided to steal his blanket, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Jeonghan feels lucky the next morning, when he wakes up before the sun has. He has an early shift this morning, so he won't be seeing his family until noon. He slowly gets out of bed, trying not to wake the sleeping dragon up.

She was honestly very much like Seungkwan, always confused and a bit grumpy after waking up. Jeonghan looked at her fondly. She always nestled herself in Jeonghan's bed, and she always made sure to sleep close to Jeonghan's pillow. Hansol had once told him that she did that to make sure he kept breathing and that he was her treasure. Jeonghan would be lying if he said he hadn't cried a little. He took the plush dragon egg from his bedside table and laid it next to her, so she'd have something to hold in her sleep. Ippi almost instantly clawed onto the soft egg, and Jeonghan felt warm inside. 

He stood up and went to the bathroom. He washed his face and looked into the mirror. There were little burn wounds in the crook of his neck. Nothing serious, though, just something a little dragon breath had caused.

Jeonghan looked at himself. He didn't wear a shirt at night, so he could see everything. He had scars on his body from the war he had fought and felt so strange looking at them, wondering what every story behind every scar was. Scars weren't the only decoration on Jeonghan's body though.

He turned to his right and ran his fingertips over his tattooed arm. Jeonghan had an arm full of roses. They were bright and red and he wondered who had been such an amazing artist to have painted on him so beautifully. In between the roses stood a name he had never heard before. Seungcheol. He wondered who it might've been. Maybe it was his son? Maybe Jeonghan had been married with children? Or madly in love and crazy enough to tattoo it all over his arm? No answer felt wrong, but neither did they feel right. Jeonghan sighed. 

"Seungcheol..." He said softly, "Who are you, Seungcheol and why were you so important to me?" 

Once again, Jeonghan was on his way home. Today was brighter than yesterday and he felt happier in this weather. Jeonghan's flower tattoos seemed to be enjoying the warmth as they all softly turned to the sun. Jeonghan found it amusing that tattoos could move.

When Seungkwan got his first tattoo, he had gotten a single poppy seed, and by now half of his chest was covered in a wild field of poppies. He didn't mind though, he loved it. It made him cope with his memories.

Jeonghan entered Draconis and walked in with a smile on his face. The pet dragons were flying around the store, playing with eachother. Hansol had trained them to not spit fire when playing and felt proud when they listened. All of the dragons were loyal to him, and Jeonghan really admired that. Seungkwan and Hansol were busy with a customer, and three others were looking at the dragons and playing with them, before making a decision. Jeonghan decided to go to the roof and see if any larger dragon species were out today. 

Two Red Flamethrowers crossed the sky and Jeonghan looked up at them with admiration. He had a strong fascination for firedragons, especially Flamethrowers. They were so powerful and intelligent. Jeonghan felt something burn in his chest whenever he saw one of them. It brought back a faint feeling, a speck of what once had been an intense emotion. Jeonghan wished he could remember.

"Hey, Jeonghan? Can you feed Hector before he sets the house on fire?" Hansol asked very calmly, all the way from the storage room. Jeonghan opened the fridge and searched for Hector's favourite late night snack. Fried crickets. Jeonghan took the bowl and walked into the large conservatory.

Many of the rescued pets were sleeping in the trees. It looked like a jungle in the conservatory. Some parts had fountains and stone walls that they could climb on, other parts were fireproof and had a little campfire in the middle. Jeonghan loved being in there. It was warm and comfortable.

One of the pet firedragons was still up. Hector was a Big Eyed Burner, and even though his species might seem impressive and lethal, Hector was the most precious thing in the world. Big Eyed Burners were a pet species that had mysteriously frequent hiccups and would accidentally spit fire at times, hence the name Burner.

Jeonghan smiled as the brown-scaled dragon chased lightning bugs while his friends were sleeping around the campfire. He chuckled at the little boy. "Hector," He sang and shook the bowl of crickets softly, "I got you a little treat, buddy. You seem hungry today." Hector reacted to his voice almost immediatly and flew over to him.

He practically dived into the bowl as Jeonghan laughed. Thank god that Jeonghan was wearing fireproof gloves because as soon as the last cricket was gone, Hector began to have hiccups. They sounded so cute and Jeonghan nearly melted. Hector was like a little baby in his eyes. He took the Burner on his arm and scratched his head, making him purr with satisfaction.

When Hector had gone to sleep, Jeonghan returned to the shop, where the last customer had just left. Hansol closed the doors and Seungkwan was cleaning up behind the counter a little bit. "Hey guys. How did we do today?" He asked, leaning against the counter comfortably. 

Seungkwan sighed dissapointedly. "Another man called me out for being an Earth sign and some kids mocked me from behind the windows." He said, keeping himself busy with cleaning up. "Baby, for the last time. None of that is your fault. You were born that way and people here can be assholes, no matter how we peaceful we might seem. That man was a Gemini, alright? Those people have some crazy duality going on. He might've regretted it the second it slipped out of his mouth." Hansol said from the other side of the room, "Besides 5 dragons got adopted today. Five new homes for five beautiful pets. Isn't that great? You shouldn't let one moment ruin your day."

Seungkwan huffed. "As if you'd know what I'm talking about." He mumbled. Jeonghan decided to interfere. "He doesn't know. And neither do I. But the least you can do is let it go. You know that it's because of the war, and that wasn't your fault either. If Hansol and I were to go to the Earth District, we'd be treated with the same racism as you." He said while tapping the counter gently.

Something in Seungkwan's eyes changed. Suddenly he went silent.

Before anyone could say anything more, Seungkwan spoke up softly. "Yeah, but I can't see that with my own eyes now, can I?" He said, his eyes becoming glazed over with tears.

"Seungkwan-" Hansol began. "No. Leave it. It's fine." Seungkwan responded, "I'm gonna sleep early tonight. Clean up a bit here, will you Jeonghan?" Jeonghan nodded in response and felt bad for his friend. They shouldn't have pushed him that far. His home District was a sensitive subject to him and they'd been stupid enough not to think about their words. 

Seungkwan headed upstairs and Hansol and Jeonghan decided to give him some time before talking it out. 

The next morning, Jeonghan came downstairs with Ippi sleeping on his shoulder. He was ready to go to work and would hand the little dragon over to Hansol before leaving. Just as he was about to take his coat, Hansol called him. "Jeonghan! Wait. There's no need for that today. We called your work and asked for a day off for you. We need to talk to you." He said, a mysterious glint appearing in his eyes. Seungkwan came downstairs too, looking a little sleepy still. "Yeah," He yawned, "We do." 

They all sat in the living room together. Draconis was closed today as well. It was cozy, the sun was rising softly, as if it had to take it's time to wake up. Seungkwan held a cup of hot tea and was almost falling back asleep. "So, what did you guys want to talk to me about?" Jeonghan asked, wiggling in place. He hoped it wouldn't be anything bad.

Hansol stood up and went into his and Seungkwan's room. "Don't worry, he's just getting something." Seungkwan said with a smile. Jeonghan nodded and waited for Hansol to come back. The latter did come back, carrying a backpack. It was made of fire- and waterproof material, had silver details and was big enough for twice the amount of Jeonghan's clothes.

"A backpack?" He asked, feeling a bit confused with the gift. Hansol handed it to him. "Open it." He said, a warm smile appearing on his face. Jeonghan glanced at both of them and at the backpack. They were smiling at him and he didn't know why.

He undid the knot and opened the backpack. "Oh my god," He gasped, "You- What- I-" 

Seungkwan laughed at his stuttering. "It's for you. So you can go follow your dreams." He responded, taking a sip of his tea. "Guys, I don't know what to say! This is a 4 District Railway Pass! Those are so hard to get!" Jeonghan said, taking the card in his hands, "It's unlimited too!" Hansol gave him an envelope as well. "This is some money we saved up for you. You know, for the hotels and food and such. Unless you want to camp somewhere, but I doubt that." He said.

Jeonghan felt his eyes well up with tears. He was really going to travel and study all of the dragons he always dreamed of.

"Oh, and I bought you something else too." Seungkwan said, placing his mug on the table to give Jeonghan a leather journal. "That way you don't have to try so hard to remember everything when you come back. You can just write it down." He said. Jeonghan broke down in tears. "Thank you so much." He cried, falling to his knees. They quickly kneeled down with him, taking him in their arms for a warm hug. That night, they threw him a goodbye party with all of the pet dragons involved. He would leave the next morning, off to a journey he would never forget.


	2. Nymphaeales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi babies!  
> The new chapter is here, I really hope you enjoy it.  
> Nymphaeales is definetly one of my favourite cities in the Zodiac Nations.  
> There are many more to come, but you'll have to discover them alongside of Jeonghan!  
> It's gonna be amazing, I swear!  
> Lots of love, ballpointpennn ❤️

"The train to Nymphaeales will be leaving from platform 3."

_Day one of my journey,_

"No, that's too cheesy." Jeonghan said and erased it.

_Day One,_

_Leaving Papaver Somniferum was the hardest thing I have ever done. I miss Seungkwan and Hansol already. They're my family, the ones who helped me when I lost my memory. Now I'm out in the open world, well, in the railwaystation of the Air District, waiting for my train to Nymphaeales. But still, I'm alone for the first time. I have to do it on my own now. I'm already grateful that I don't have to work in that stupid coffee shop anymore. I'm going to do fun things now and hopefully not get in trouble. I also hope Seungkwan has stopped crying by now because it didn't seem as if he had stopped when I left Draconis._

Jeonghan closed his notebook and put it in his backpack. The train took off slowly and he decided to sleep for a bit, since it was still early. He dozed off slowly, as the train took him to his first destination.

"We are arriving at our final stop Nymphaeales in 5 minutes."

Jeonghan's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the robotic voice. He looked out of the window and immediatly gasped in awe. 

They were arriving in a railwaystation where everything was so detailed. There was silver in everything, all tones of blue everywhere. There was water running through the railings of the staircases, colourful fish swimming through them as well. Jeonghan was amazed by the beauty, and couldn't wait to explore the city. 

This wasn't even the capital of the Water District, he could only imagine what the biggest city of all would look like. 

As Jeonghan walked through the railwaystation, he noticed so many amazing things. There were no announcement boards, where you could see the trains. There was only this woman's voice, who announced everything.

Jeonghan assumed that it was because the Water Signs were known for following their instincts, and found it quite funny how they managed to be in time to catch their trains. He entered the entrance hall of the station and froze. The entire ceiling was covered in beautiful paintings of their history, each Water Sign getting honoured as well. It was breathtaking and he couldn't help but stare. 

Nymphaeales really held onto his soul and made him feel alive, the feeling is as gentle just as it's powerful, like a wave that tickles your toes. 

"It's truly mesmerizing, isn't it?"

Jeonghan snapped out of his trance and looked at the man who had come up beside him.

His voice reminded him of silk, soft and expensive. The man was rather tall, slim and was dressed very artsy. He was wearing glasses that complimented his big interested eyes. 

"Yeah, it is." Jeonghan answered, a bit unsure of what to say. 

"You see, the waves flow like they would in real life. The realism in the artwork is so correct that some visitors claim that it actually moves." The man said, pointing at some parts of the ceiling to show Jeonghan what he meant. 

"But it doesn't. It's just an illusion." Jeonghan answered. The man smiled. "Impressive, stranger. My name's Minghao." He said. 

"Jeonghan." Jeonghan answered, shaking Minghao's hand. 

"Woah, really? You've seen a Hydra hatch?" Jeonghan gasped as he sat back in his comfy chair. Minghao had proposed to go for coffee at a coffee shop near the Xu Museum Of Modern Arts. It turned out the guy was as passionate about dragons as Jeonghan was. 

"Yes, it was amazing. The birth of such a strong creature. It was pretty adorable actually. One of the heads of the Hydra had hiccups and started spitting fire by accident." Minghao said, his lips curling into a smile. Jeonghan smiled back, thinking of his home. 

"That reminds me of a friend of mine." Jeonghan said, a little sadness creeping into his tone. Minghao's look changed. 

"Your friend spits fire when he has the hiccups?" He asked, suddenly very interested. Jeonghan laughed. 

"Well, yeah. His name is Hector and he's a Big Eyed Burner." He explained. Minghao's eyes widened behind his elegant glasses. 

"A Big Eyed Burner? Aren't those extremely dangerous?" He asked. 

Jeonghan quickly shook his head. "No, they really aren't. They just get hiccups a lot and accidentally burn people. Hector's a really nice petdragon, alright?" Jeonghan said, trying to make clear that dragons were nice creatures. 

Minghao nodded. "Oh, alright. I guess you should never trust what you hear from others." He said. 

Jeonghan agreed with that. "Yeah, there's a lot of bullshit going around sometimes. For example in the Air District, people are very racist towards Earth Signs because of the war, but honestly they're good people." Jeonghan said, as he thought about the many nights Seungkwan had been crying because of his Sign. 

Minghao hummed in agreement. "I would say the same here with Fire Signs, but personally, I feel like they can be such dickheads. They think of theirselves as royalty. Those stuck up people." He said. 

Jeonghan felt a faint unknown feeling in his chest. It hurt, but not enough to cause an angry reaction. "I feel like I should disagree, but I've never met a Fire Sign or been in the Fire District. So I can't really judge if I haven't made up my own opinion yet." He answered. 

"That's very intelligent. I'm truly amazed by you, Jeonghan." Minghao said as he took a sip of his espresso. Jeonghan smiled proudly. "Thank you, Minghao," He said, happy to get complimented by such an interesting man. The two continued to talk about dragons and trips, until they ran out of coffee.

"Do you have a place to stay here?" Minghao asked suddenly as they walked out of the coffee shop. Jeonghan paused and realised that he hadn't planned anything. 

"No, not really. I'll find something." He said, unsurely. 

Minghao crossed his arms over his chest. "Something's telling me that you're not gonna find a place to sleep. Nymphaeales is a very busy city, you know. All the hotels are booked with people. It could be dangerous to be out here at night though, seeing that you are a visitor." He said, as he seemed to scan Jeonghan for a reaction. 

Jeonghan felt ashamed. "What am I gonna do?" He mumbled to himself. He'd be all alone in this big city. What a great start of his journey. He had screwed it up already. It was all over and he was going to die alone- 

"You can stay over at my place tonight." Minghao proposed, his look softening. 

Jeonghan felt a wave of relief washing over him. "Oh, thank you so much. But are you sure? I'm a total stranger." He responded. 

Minghao smiled softly and shook his head. "You're not a total stranger anymore. It's not that I know you that well either, but I really have a good feeling about you. So that's why I'm inviting you." He said. 

Jeonghan smiled. "Thank you so much, Minghao, really." He responded, trying to express his gratefulness with words. 

"It's alright. Oh, by the way, you're going to love my roommate. He's a bit vague but he's the best, I swear. He has this weird thing with that mythological creature... I don't remember the name, I think it was a cat? I'll ask him to explain it when we arrive at my home..."

After taking the underwater subway, Minghao walked Jeonghan to a modern house. It was quite big and shaped oddly in some places. "Oh wow. This is... wow." Jeonghan said. Minghao smiled proudly. "I designed it myself. It's really cool, c'mon, I'll show you around."

As soon as Jeonghan walked into the house, the colour exploded. Every room had paintings all over them. They had a pool outside, a library, two offices and an art studio. The whole thing must've cost a fortune. 

"Minghao, I don't know what to say. This is a work of art." He said in awe of the whole place. 

Minghao stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled proudly. "Yeah, we worked hard on it." He answered. 

"We sure did. This building gave me back problems." An unfamiliar voice said all of a sudden. 

Jeonghan turned around and saw a young man, taller than him, with messy dark brown hair and glasses. He was wearing some comfy sweatpants and a hoodie with a cat on it. Those animals didn't even exist. 

"I'm Wonwoo. You must be one of Hao's hookups. Yeah, watch out with the whole art thing, it's kind of how he lures people in." Wonwoo said, taking a sip of his coffee. 

Jeonghan's mouth fell open. "I'm not-" 

"He's not a hookup, Wonwoo. Can't you shut up for once?" Minghao said to the man. 

Wonwoo shook his head and looked at Jeonghan. "What, he's pretty handsome." He said, inspecting the Libra from head to toe. 

"Wonwoo, please." Minghao said, in a rather threatening way. 

"He's right, though." Jeonghan said, with a smirk plastered on his face. 

Wonwoo laughed as Minghao rolled his eyes. "I'm Jeonghan, by the way." He added, his smirk turning into a friendly smile. 

"What brings you here in our house, Jeonghan?" Wonwoo asked, taking another sip of his coffee. 

"Stupidity." Jeonghan answered to which Wonwoo laughed, "I didn't book a hotel or anything. But I forgot how big Nymphaeales actually is and how busy it is because this is literally the only place where the Aqua Angel can be spotted." He explained. 

Wonwoo hummed and glanced at Minghao. "I can see why Hao has chosen you to hang out with." 

After telling Wonwoo that Jeonghan was going to spend the night, they made sure their guest room was prepared before taking him out to dinner. Jeonghan was amazed by their hospitality. It felt so nice to be so easily accepted by them.

"Holy shit." Jeonghan gasped as he walked into the restaurant. The chairs were like thrones, the centerpieces were more like masterpieces and the chandeliers had diamonds and sapphires in them, sparkling as if they were the stars in the sky. 

Minghao had lend Jeonghan one of his nicest suits, since Jeonghan didn't bring any fancy clothes on his big journey. Wonwoo was wearing a suit too, but hadn't bothered to comb his hair. It did suit him, although he looked more like a Leo than a Cancer. 

That thought made Jeonghan feel strange. A Leo. The sign that he was destined for. It somehow made him feel like a flame had started to burn within his chest. Not for Wonwoo, but for someone who had vanished from his memory. 

"I have a reservation on the name of Xu Minghao." 

Jeonghan's eyes widened. The Xu Museum Of Modern Arts. Minghao was the owner! His art was famous over the entire Zodiac Nation. Jeonghan felt so stupid to have not noticed the man Minghao really was, but on the other hand, maybe Minghao liked being treated like a normal person. 

"Hey, Libra, you comin'?" Wonwoo said, snapping his fingers in front of Jeonghan's face. Jeonghan snapped out of it and nodded, following them to a table with ocean view.

"So, Jeonghan," Minghao said as he swirled his wine around in the crystal glass, "The Aqua Angel. Why do you want to see it?" 

Jeonghan looked up from his plate and placed his chopsticks down. "I'm curious about all kinds of dragons. I'm planning to visit all the Districts and the variety of species. I want to see them in real life, not just in the books of the library. And the Aqua Angel is just so appealing. It's a living piece of art, it's scales are so detailed and it's such an elegant species that I just had to see it first." Jeonghan said, making the other two listen closely. 

"I've seen one before. They like to dance in the moonlight, you can see it from our private beach. I sit there quite a lot to watch them when I have no insperation." Wonwoo said. He sighed. "I just wish cats were real." He added softly. 

Minghao and Jeonghan smiled at that. "Hey, I bet you can make them come to life in your book." Jeonghan said to him, earning a smile from the man. 

"That's so nice," Wonwoo responded sincerely. 

"Yeah, that was well said." Minghao added. "But anyways, enough about my obsession with those mythological creatures. Tell me more about your obsession." Wonwoo said, before taking a sip of his wine. 

Jeonghan felt warm inside as he began to talk about dragons. The other two were fascinated about how much he knew. Jeonghan was talking so passionately when suddenly,

"Were you always this interested? Like, did it start when you were a kid?" 

Jeonghan fell silent. He tried to dig into his memory, as he had tried many times before. But it was always the same outcome. Nothing. 

"I don't remember." He said honestly, his voice becoming vulnerable, "I lost my memory on the battlefield." 

Silence.

Wonwoo and Minghao looked at eachother in silence, both unsure of what to say. Jeonghan was looking at his plate lifelessly. He was curious too. 

"So I don't really know if it started when I was a kid." He said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine. "It's alright, though." 

But it wasn't. It wasn't alright. Jeonghan had felt so confused. He still is. Seungkwan and Hansol are the only proper memory he has. The only thing that represents home in his life. Maybe his family was out there, searching for him. And he just couldn't remember who they were. Maybe he had even seen them on the streets, but had failed to recognize them. Maybe they had died. Nothing was certain. 

Wonwoo decided to pick up the conversation again, by dismissing the subject when he noticed how much it pained Jeonghan. They tried to lighten the mood by joking about the waiter's accent and succeeded into making Jeonghan smile again.

After finishing dinner and going home, Wonwoo took Jeonghan to their beach to watch the Aqua Angels dance. 

The cold sand felt nice against Jeonghan's tired feet. The subways weren't available this late at night, so they had to walk the entire way back home. 

He had changed back into his own clothes, scared of making Minghao's suit dirty. Minghao had decided that he was going to work on a painting and not join them. 

Jeonghan didn't mind ofcourse, the man had paid for his dinner already. He was grateful for his actions. 

Wonwoo laid a blanket on the sand so they could sit. He patted on the place next to him and Jeonghan sat down. 

The moon was shining brightly and Jeonghan felt at peace. The calming sounds of the waves of the ocean really made him feel comfortable. 

"Hey Jeonghan," Wonwoo said as he cleared his throat, "About what happened at dinner, I mean, are you alright?" He asked. 

Jeonghan looked at the horizon. He sighed softly. "I don't know. It's hard to talk about. There's just so many possible ways that I could have been before I lost myself. It scares me. It really does." He whispered. 

Wonwoo hummed. "Yeah... I can understand that." He answered. 

The silence fell in between them again. It was comfortable though. They didn't have to talk. Jeonghan stared at the sea, waiting for the majestic creatures to show themselves. 

Soon turquoise lights started appearing underneath the surface and Jeonghan's face lit up.

Before he knew it two wonderful dragons broke the waves and came to the surface, breathing in the air of the cold night. Their blue scales were shining in the salty water, showing off how strong they were. They started to playfight with eachother in a gentle way, and made it seem as if they were dancing like a newly wedded couple. 

Jeonghan felt breathless in this moment as he witnessed something so wonderful. The time flew by and before he knew it, he had been sitting there for hours, watching them and writing things down for Seungkwan and Hansol, really feeling as if he was connected to a side of himself that he had yet to discover.

The next few days passed rather quickly. Minghao and Wonwoo had decided to let him stay over for as long as he'd like. They took him out evey single day, to explore the city with him. Jeonghan had seen everything. The lightshows on the main square in the centre of Nymphaeales, the Aqua Angels, the Xu Museum Of Modern Arts. 

It was all so wonderful and so refreshing. Jeonghan had written down quite a lot, but he was sure that Seungkwan would absolutely love it. He had nothing planned for today. But that would soon change.

"I have tickets for the annual Dragon Games! We have to go, Woo, we have to! We can bring Jeonghan! He has to come too!" Minghao cheered as he hopped through the house. "We're going to see a lot of dragons, oh my god!" Minghao yelled excitedly. 

Jeonghan almost immediatly joined him in his cheerfulness and Wonwoo rolled his eyes at the two fanboys as he continued the novel on his computer.

"Next up, a dragon species of our own, our greatest pride, Lavender the Nymphaealian Nightguard against Oberon, the Agathodemon sent all the way from the Earth District!"

Minghao cheered excitedly and so did Jeonghan. They were in a big open air arena, where thousands of people had gathered to see the battles between the legendary beasts.

Jeonghan saw the Nymphaealian Nightguard enter the field and gasped. She was named after the colour of her thick skin, the colour of her fire and the colour of her eyes. She was so beautiful that no man could describe her, but she was vicious and had no mercy for her opponents. 

Oberon, the Agathodemon, was protective and preferred to be defensive. Jeonghan watched as the entire arena grew silent. The protective screens were activated, the chains were unlocked. 

Lavender wasted no time in attacking Oberon, who furiously fought back. Lavender was out to get what he possessed. An owl, a creature of the night. Oberon was doing nothing but protect it ofcourse, but Lavender's species found that all nightlife should be free. Her fire burned some of Oberon's scales, who in defense bit her in the thigh. The crowd roared with excitement, the duel had really begun. 

Oberon hissed at Lavender as a warning, but the Nightguard ignored his attempt. Lavender spat her fire at his wings, burning his feathers succesfully. Oberon cried out in pain and the crowd cheered for Lavender. 

Nonetheless, Oberon held his foot down. He slid up her body and wrapped himself around her throat.

The Nightguard began to claw at his skin, ripping it open. The blood spat out of Oberon's body but he refused to let go. Lavender began to choke dangerously hard on his grip. She was losing oxygen quickly and Oberon only tightened his grip.

Jeonghan watched closely as the pastel purple dragon fell down. He hoped that she was just unconcious, but couldn't be sure. 

A dragontamer stepped onto the field and grabbed Oberon's treasure. The serpent released his grip on the Nightguard and slid over to him. He was obedient towards the human and raised himself proudly, because he knew that he had won. 

"Oberon has won for the third time in a row!" Minghao cheered. Jeonghan saw why. He had some thick skin. The games came to an end and Lavender was not dead, which relieved Jeonghan as soon as she started getting up again. 

Dragons were majestic creatures who deserved to live freely and not be slaughtered in an entertainment game.

_It's been so nice in Nymphaeales. Minghao and Wonwoo really made this visit so much better. I saw the Aqua Angels dance in the moonlight! And I even saw the Dragon Games! I've been dreaming about it for YEARS now! I feel sad to leave them again, but I gave them our adress so they can send us letters. I can't wait to go visit the Earth District. I really hope it will be just as great as it was here! I hope Seungkwan's people will be nice to me. Although I really doubt it._


	3. Syringa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii!  
> Sorry that it's so late, I had a funeral yesterday.  
> My great aunt passed away last Saturday.  
> We're doing okay, I just had a hard time.  
> I woke up this morning and decided that I needed to write.   
> So here is the third chapter of Jeonghan's journey.  
> I hope you guys enjoy.  
> Lots of love, ballpointpennn ❤️

As soon as Jeonghan walked the ground of the Earth District, it began.

People were giving him dirty looks, whispering awful things about him to eachother. He tried not to stand out, but it was hard in a world where everyone seemed to dress in the same colours. 

The Earth District was definetly something else. There was nature surrounding him at all times. Hundreds of plant species were placed near the pavements, in between the big gracious buildings and even on top of them. It truly felt nice there, since there was plenty of fresh oxygen. 

Jeonghan tried to ignore the racist slurs that people threw at him as he walked through the capital. It was hard, harder than he had expected. 

He decided to wander off to the forestvillages, in hopes of finding a place to stay for the night. The forestvillages were something Jeonghan had always admired. They were cozy groups of homes made out of wood, with lanterns and flowers everywhere. They were nice places where you could really connect with the earth. 

But he had no luck. As soon as people saw him and recognized that he wasn't from there, they shut their doors. Jeonghan wandered around the dark forest, for hours.

Eventually, he fell asleep on the roots of an old oak, dreaming that he was sleeping in a comfy bed in a place where he was accepted for who he is.

When he woke up, he just brushed the dirt off of his clothes and walked deeper into the forest. He walked for hours, only seeing trees and branches. 

When the night fell, Jeonghan would be lost. Maybe wild dragons would even shred him pieces. He was hungry and scared. The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon again. Jeonghan feared that he might never get out of this forest again.

Everything was so quiet. Jeonghan had always been comfortable in the silence, but this was different. It felt strange, as if he was an intruder. Every sound he made was so loud. So damn loud. Jeonghan tried to be careful, but he had to stay strong and keep walking. He hoped to find a nice tree to sleep under, or maybe even a small river where he could drink some water.

He had no luck, whatsoever. The trees were growing thinner as he walked further into the woods. The silence was broken by the nightlife and Jeonghan tried to calm himself down. It was going to be alright, it had to be. 

All of a sudden, he heard a loud crack. He turned to the noise and saw a tree fall down. Behind the tree stood a rather small dragon, which Jeonghan identified as a Mudblood. 

He held his breath anxiously, knowing very well how sensitive Mudbloods were to sound. One scream and the dragon would attack you. 

The beast was panting, because it's hard skull had just rammed into that tree. He was in pain, and there was nothing Jeonghan could do. He just stood there, watching it as if he was frozen. But then it all changed.

"Good boy, now let's get this tree back to the house, alright Tharion?" 

Jeonghan wasn't alone anymore. Near the dragon stood a young man with a friendly expression. He was incredibly beautiful, definetly above average. His cat-like eyes were so pretty that Jeonghan forgot about the fact that there was a dangerous Mudblood only meters away from him. Wonwoo would probably love this guy. 

The young man looked up and gasped, the sudden panic visible in his eyes. The Mudblood growled deeply, feeling that his master felt in danger. "Easy, Tharion, easy." The young man said as he rubbed the thick skin of the creature beside him. He glanced back at Jeonghan and the confidence grew in his eyes. 

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He said loudly, so Jeonghan could hear. Jeonghan took a deep breath. This was all or nothing. 

"My name is Yoon Jeonghan, I'm from the Air District. I'm a Libra. I am a traveller as well. And I'm also lost." He said bravely, holding on to his bag tightly to hide his nerves. 

The young man took a step back. 

"The Air District... What made you think it was a smart idea to come here? We had a war!" He shouted. 

The Mudblood growled as a threat and Jeonghan took a step back this time. 

"I just want to see the dragons! Nothing more, nothing less! I mean no harm!" Jeonghan responded, trying his best not to offend the man any further.

The man stepped closer to the Mudblood. He climbed on top of it and looked at Jeonghan. "I can't believe what I haven't seen. How do I know you mean no harm?" He asked. 

Jeonghan felt amazed by how clever that young man was. He sighed and took his backpack, taking everything out one by one. He displayed it in front of him so the young man could see. He had no weapons or potentionally dangerous objects with him. 

The young man urged his dragon to go closer. He inspected Jeonghan's stuff closely, and glanced at him again. "Do you swear that you don't mean any harm?" He asked again. 

Jeonghan nodded. "I swear." He answered sincerely.

The man hopped off of his dragon. "My name is Joshua. This is Tharion. He's a Gardanian Mudblood so you better shut up because I'm not going to stop him if he attacks you." He said, "Pack your bags and help me with that tree. If you behave I might let you stay over for the night." 

Joshua hadn't invited Jeonghan to ride Tharion with him. He made Jeonghan walk all the way. Jeonghan could only understand. He must've been in the army as well. War can really mess you up. 

It was a long walk to the house Joshua lived in, but Jeonghan was nothing but grateful. Joshua hopped off of the dragon again and undid the belts that held the tree around the Mudblood. Jeonghan helped him without him asking for it. They moved the tree to the shed, where a lot of stacked wood was already stocked. The winter was coming and Joshua was definetly prepared. 

Joshua then released Tharion from the belts and led him inside. Jeonghan followed, ofcourse, but felt how unwanted he actually was.

Joshua's home was small and simple. The living room had a fireplace, a sofa and a bookcase. There was a little kitchen as well and there were two doors which led to what had to be the bathroom and the bedroom. 

Tharion layed down on the floor and curled up into a ball, enjoying the softness of the rug underneath him. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it." Jeonghan said. 

Joshua glanced at him angrily. "You better, cause it's the only thing I will ever do for your kind." He spat. He walked to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. 

Jeonghan didn't know what else to do than to stand there. He felt incredibly unwelcome. Which he probably was. "Look, if you think that I'm as racist as those other people, I'm not. I have fought in the war against you, I admit, but if it weren't for one of your people, I wouldn't have been here right now." He said. 

Joshua stopped cutting the vegetables. A silence fell in between them. "Why would they save someone like you." He whispered to himself. 

"I don't know either, okay? But that man risked his life for me. And I have no reason at all to disrespect Earth Signs like my people do." He said, his heart aching for Seungkwan's suffering. 

Joshua's look softened. He glanced at Jeonghan again. "You can sleep on the couch. Feel free to go and wash up. The bathroom's the door on the left." 

After taking a shower and getting into some comfortable clothes, Jeonghan offered to help Joshua with dinner. Joshua had accepted his offer without looking at him and the two cooked in silence.

"Oh wow! This is amazing," Joshua said as he took the first bite. Jeonghan smiled to himself proudly. "I might strongly dislike you but you're really not a bad cook." Joshua said before stuffing his face with more. "Excuse me, did you really just say something nice to me?" Jeonghan asked teasingly. Joshua rolled his eyes, but a smile appeared on his face. "Don't get used to it." He said, glancing at the Libra. 

The two spend the night talking in front of the fireplace. Joshua felt surprised by how much Jeonghan knew about Mudbloods. He even learned him more about them and told him that they were to be found in all Districts, under all names. 

Tharion was a Gardanian Mudblood, a breed that lived in Gardenia, a village not far from the capital. "He chose me when I was 8 and we've been stuck together for about 13 years now." Joshua said, looking at his buddy fondly. Tharion was asleep. 

Jeonghan found it fascinating. 

"You know, Mudbloods aren't the prettiest species, but Tharion's heart is the most sincere and pure thing ever. He's such a kind creature. It just sucks how people call him ugly all the time." Joshua said with a sigh. 

Jeonghan turned to him. "It's hard to be different." He responded. 

Joshua nodded softly. "I'm sorry. It's just a major trigger. Don't ask." He said. 

"I won't." Jeonghan promised. That night, the Libra fell asleep on the sofa by the fire. It was the beginning of something he would never forget.

The days passed quickly. As Joshua and Jeonghan got to know eachother, they found how well they got along. They cooked together every night and Jeonghan helped Joshua with all the tasks he had to do. It felt nice to have an unlikely friend.

Jeonghan and Tharion were playing fetch one day, outside of the cabin while Joshua watched from behind the window. Tharion had grown to like the Libra quite a lot and Jeonghan had been nothing but respectful and helpful. Without knowing it, the boys had grown to care for eachother.

One night, Joshua had made Jeonghan dress up in typical Earth District clothes and taken him to see the hatching of a Horntail egg in the capital. It was an experience like no other and Jeonghan's eyes had never shone so brightly. 

When they got home, a heavy atmosphere settled and they could both feel it. They got into comfy clothes and sat down by the fire, Tharion asleep on the rug as always. 

"Hey, Jeonghan?"  
"Hm?"  
"You're quite alright for a former Air Soldier." 

Jeonghan smiled softly at those words. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." He said softly, playing with his own hair absently. "No, really." Joshua began, "I used to hate you so much... I should tell you about this." His voice softened. Jeonghan knew that he would see Joshua's vulnerable side and closed the book that he had been reading.

Joshua took his time to find his words. 

"My- my brother, he... He died in the war. He had sacrificed himself for an Air Soldier. The enemy. He was such a good boy. So young as well..." A tear slipped down his cheek. 

Jeonghan walked over to him and sat down next to him. He wiped away his tears gently. "I'm so sorry, Shua." He said, as he pulled the crying Capricorn in for a hug. 

"No, it's not your fault. Seungkwan is dead, and I just have to accept it." He sobbed. 

Jeonghan froze. Seungkwan? As in his Seungkwan? 

"Wh- Joshua, what is your surname?" He asked. 

Joshua looked up at him and wiped his tears away. "Boo... Why?" He said.

Jeonghan gasped. "He's alive. He's alive! Joshua, Seungkwan is alive! He's not dead!" He cheered. 

Joshua couldn't believe him. He couldn't even find his words. Joshua quickly stood up and ran over to his bookcase. He pulled out a little book and ran back to the sofa. He showed Jeonghan the pictures and Jeonghan nearly cried. 

"It's him, Joshua, he's not dead. He's alive and well in Papaver Somniferum. In Draconis." He said happily. 

The tears welled up in Joshua's eyes. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He sobbed as he pulled Jeonghan into a hug. Jeonghan held him gently. He then made some tea for them and told Joshua the whole story.

"I had an accident during the war and that's why I lost my memories. Seungkwan had refused to assassinate me and that's why he was banned from the Earth District. He didn't get the chance to say goodbye and that's why you have thought that he's been dead for all these years. After that, Seungkwan and I got placed in Papaver Somniferum, with nothing but our dirty uniforms. We looked for a place to sleep and Seungkwan... He..." Jeonghan seemed to block. 

His most painful memory had just resurfaced. And he had to tell Seungkwan's older brother. "He sold himself to the owner of a little hotel. We could stay there for a week. But that was it." Joshua gasped and took Jeonghan's hand. 

"Go on." He said softly. Jeonghan took a deep breath. 

"During that week we met Hansol, an introverted but kind Aquarius. Hansol and Seungkwan fell in love so easily," Jeonghan smiled sadly, "Hansol had offered us to stay at his place until we had enough money to buy our own. But Hansol's parents found out about his relationship with a Capricorn and kicked them out. It broke my heart, but Hansol stayed with us. Seungkwan was willing to sell himself again to take care of us, but Hansol and I strongly refused that idea. We lived on the streets for months, we had no money whatsoever. We ate from trashcans, drank from waterfountains and slept in a barn until the owner found out. He beat us up before we could even run." Jeonghan wiped a tear away.

This was way harder than he had expected. "I saw how they went from healthy looking to way worse. Seungkwan and Hansol were so thin." Jeonghan sobbed, the tears running down his face as he spoke. 

"Then, fortunately, Hansol inherited a house from his uncle, who had passed just before the next winter. We quickly moved into the house and tried to get jobs. Hansol became a teacher at out local elementary school and I found a job in a coffee shop. Seungkwan however was rejected every single time because of his roots. He got worse and worse mentally. People were so mean to him, Shua." Jeonghan sighed and wiped way his tears. 

Joshua took his hand and gave him a compassionate look. "But then our little miracle came. Seungkwan brought home an injured Two-Tailed Airhead. Hansol, ofcourse, nursed her back to health. We named her Ippi. She's our fourth family member. And that's how Draconis started, it's our petshop for tiny dragon species. Seungkwan felt so happy to have a job and we were all healthy and happy. But we never forgot about what had happened before."

Joshua remained silent for a bit. He pulled Jeonghan into another hug and held him close. The two slept in the same bed that night, just for the sake of having someone near. 

The morning after, Joshua packed his suitcase with everything possible. He woke up Tharion and got him ready for the trip. "Jeonghan, I'm coming with you. I need to see my brother." He had said, when Jeonghan came into the living room. Jeonghan smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely." He answered as he said goodmorning to Tharion.

That same day, the two continued Jeonghan's journey together, riding the Gardanian Mudblood to the Fire District.

Little did Jeonghan know, that he was heading towards his final destination. 


	4. Calor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took a looooong time.  
> I'm glad that you waited, if you did.  
> Exams have been fucking me up.  
> Please enjoy this messy plothole-ish chapter.   
> I really hope it's clear enough.  
> I love you!
> 
> Lots of love, ballpointpennn ❤️

The sun was rising slowly and the orange warmth rested on their tired bodies. They had been walking for 6 days now, and they were exhausted. Fortunately, Jeonghan had packed more than enough food for them and Tharion to survive on.

They had reached Calor safely and would go visit Joshua's cousin, Mingyu.

As they walked into the street where Mingyu lived, Jeonghan gasped.

There were massive mansions on both sides of the street, with a lot of free land behind them. He saw the most expensive cars, and impressive gates made of gold and silver. Just how rich was this Mingyu?

"I see that you're surprised, Han, it's alright. Mingyu is nice. His husband is something else, but Mingyu will treat us right." Joshua said with a smile. Even when he was tired, he still managed to look ethereal. 

"We're here." He said, letting out a relieved sigh. Jeonghan looked up at a mansion that was larger than he had ever been able to imagine. It was richly decorated, yet simple and elegant. The hedges were perfectly shaped, not one little flaw to see. 

Joshua walked over and rang the bell. "Wait for it. Don't flinch." He said. Joshua rubbed circles underneath Tharion's skin. It was a known trick to keep aggressive species like him calm. Jeonghan gulped.

He had no idea what to think until he heard that loud and alarming dragon call. Another followed, accompanied with the rustling of chains and the sound of things getting burned. He held his breath when he saw a bright red wing appear above the roof of the mansion. A sharp head with strong horns and yellow eyes followed. 

"Do not flinch." Joshua repeated.

Jeonghan's breathing had sped up quite a bit, but he tried his best to stay calm. A string of fire was released into the air and another threatening dragon shriek was heard. Then quick footsteps came from behind the impressive gate.

It opened slowly, revealing a tall man with dark hair. He was dressed in very high class clothes, that fit him perfectly. He was panting, which surprised Jeonghan. A man with such a strong body should have better stamina than that. 

"W- Welcome, Joshua and company. P- Please follow me." He said, as he tried to catch his breath.

Joshua laughed quietly. "He's not usually like this. He probably fought with his husband again. He gets strangely formal when he does." He said.

Jeonghan let out a little giggle. This was definitely going to be... interesting.

Two butlers opened the front doors and bowed. Jeonghan bowed back to them and got an appreciative smile from one of them. He walked into the breathtaking enterance hall. It was a large room with a gigantic chandelier that had countless of diamonds twinkling up there. There was also a double staircase made out of marble. There stood a single table with an elegant vase on it. The vase held a bouquet of white flowers.

"They definitely had a fight. Jihoon always buys Mingyu white flowers when they do. You'll see a lot of white flowers around the house too." Joshua explained when he came in after handing Tharion over to a butler in armor. Jeonghan nodded and kept admiring the room they were in. Another dragon call came from outside. It held anger and fear, Jeonghan could recognize it easily. It wasn't Tharion. This species was bigger.

"I am truly so sorry if my beloved dragon has offended you. She is a bit tense lately, but I can assure you that we are working on her behavior towards our guests. Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself, I am Sir Kim Mingyu, pleased to meet you."

Jeonghan shook Mingyu's hand. "Yoon Jeonghan." He responded politely. 

"Gyu, you can stop the politeness now. What happened this time?" Joshua asked as he approached his cousin.

Mingyu let out a sigh and tears welled up in his eyes. Jeonghan immediately felt compassion for the other. He seemed to have been carrying a lot of heavy emotions.

"Jihoon thinks we should get rid of Princess. And we yelled at eachother. He said a lot of hurtful things, but so did I." Mingyu sobbed, and Joshua pulled him in for a hug. 

"Now, Mingyu, is this your way of treating our guests? Crying when you let them in?" 

Jeonghan saw a small man walk down the marble staircase. His face showed no emotion, a bit like Wonwoo's. He was also dressed in high class clothes, but honestly what did Jeonghan expect? 

"I am Sir Lee Jihoon. Mingyu's husband." He said as he approached them. 

Something in Joshua's eyes changed. Jeonghan saw a look of distrust in his eyes, and immediately felt that he shouldn't trust the man either.

Jihoon reached them and inspected them from head to toe. "Hello Joshua. Welcome back." He said, the poison dripping from his voice. He turned to Jeonghan. 

Suddenly something changed. His stern and cold look turned softer. He gasped and looked at his face. "Yoon Jeonghan..." 

Jeonghan's eyes widened. How did this Jihoon know his name when he had never met him before? Joshua looked at Jeonghan too, but he didn't look surprised. He had a faint look of sadness on his face. He stayed quiet. 

"Do I know you?" Jeonghan asked carefully, not trying to break the fragile atmosphere.

Jihoon glanced at the floor and took a deep breath. "You used to."

Jeonghan could feel his pain as he looked back into his eyes. 

"We were like family. You knew my brother too. S- S. Coups. But he prefers Coups." Jihoon said, with a light stutter. He excused himself for it. Jeonghan stayed silent. 

He was curious, but didn't want to be impolite. 

"I'll take Jeonghan to his room." Joshua said as he stepped in front of Jeonghan in a protective way. Jihoon's eyes narrowed. 

"Very well." He said coldly, "Mingyu, come with me. I need to talk to you."

Mingyu shivered lightly, Jeonghan noticed. He wiped his tears away and followed the man to wherever he was heading. 

Joshua muttered something under his breath. "C'mon, let's go." He said as he took Jeonghan's hand to lead him upstairs. 

The marble stairs were longer than Jeonghan had expected. Joshua led him through a hallway and opened one of the two double doors at the very end of it. 

Jeonghan entered the room (more like, suite) and looked around. The air filled his lungs. It smelled familiar. Like vanilla. Sweet, soft vanilla. Jeonghan walked further into the room. A bed for two, that looked like it had been through a lot. There were, what Jeonghan identified as, scratchmarks on the headboard. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what had taken place in that bed before. He kept looking at it. It felt so familiar. All of it. The entire room. The way it looked, the way it smelled, the way it felt. 

Jeonghan placed his backpack on the table without taking his eyes off of the bed. He walked over to it, slowly. The burn within him became bigger. He knew this room. He had been here before. He was certain. He had slept in that bed. But with who?

"I should probably go." Joshua suddenly said. Jeonghan turned around and noticed that he was still standing in the doorway. 

"Are you not sleeping here with me, Shua? Isn't this the guestroom?" He asked, trying to hide the suspicion in his voice.

Joshua looked away. He seemed to take his time before shaking his head.   
"This used to be your room, Jeonghan. You used to live here." 

Something in Jeonghan clicked. Joshua knew who he was, who he had been. Joshua had known all this time and hadn't told him. Jeonghan walked over to him and yanked him into the room, shutting the door with a loud bang. 

"What are you hiding from me?!" He shouted, right into Joshua's face. The boy was startled, scared. 

"N- Nothing-" Joshua stuttered.

Tears welled up in Jeonghan's eyes. He let go of Shua's shirt and took a step back. He turned to the windows. Jeonghan wasn't able to stop himself from crying, not here.

"You know who I am, Joshua. I have lived without having a single clue. Yet here you are, the one who knows. But you still won't tell me." Jeonghan turned around again, showing Joshua just how much pain he was in, "I'm bringing you to your fucking brother! You're my bestfriend, Shua! How could you keep this from me?! Why would you do this?!" Jeonghan shouted through his tears, the pain filling the room. 

"Because I hated you, Jeonghan! I hated you!" Joshua shouted. 

Jeonghan looked into his eyes and saw how he fell apart, bit by bit. 

"You knew my brother had to fight in the war! You knew it! And you were my bestfriend! But our friendship didn't matter to you, 'cause you went anyways, knowing very fucking well that if you met him on the battlefield, it was your life or his! The war ended and I hadn't heard from Seungkwan in months! He had to be dead, Jeonghan! And the worst part is that I assumed that you did it! That's why I was so mean to you at first!" He shouted. The tears were streaming down his face.

"But then, you didn't have any memories. And you were kind to me. You were so kind. It felt like before, Han... And I tried to get you back in my life. 'Cause I loved you. I loved you so damn much. Enough to forgive you for the murder of my brother." 

His last sentence came out as a whisper. Joshua radiated so much pain. And it was all Jeonghan's fault. 

Jeonghan couldn't handle the thought of willingly killing Seungkwan and broke down. He walked over to Joshua and pulled him into his arms. 

"I'm so sorry, Shua, please hold me, please." Jeonghan sobbed. 

Joshua held on to him tightly, burying his face in the crook of Jeonghan's neck. 

"I'm so very sorry, I'm sorry." Jeonghan kept repeating the phrase. 

Joshua stroked his back and held him until he was calm. It felt nice to hold him again. After all those years of hatred. How could he have ever even thought about it? Jeonghan would never hurt his brother. Or him. 

After letting eachother go, Joshua washed Jeonghan's face and layed him down for a nap. Jeonghan fell asleep rather quickly. His eyes were tired, and so was his body.

The last thing he felt before drifting off, was a pair of lips pressing a kiss to his forehead. And the soft feeling of home spread through his body.

"Jeonghan!"

Jeonghan looked around in panic. He was on the battlefield again. The gunshots were deafening, as were the planes flying high above his head. His long hair was tied in a bun and he felt lost. 

"Jeonghan!"

The voice kept repeating his name, but he couldn't identify it. He stumbled in the mud and fell down. 

"Jeonghan!"

He pretended that he was dead.

"Jeonghan!"

Suddenly someone grabbed him and carried him through everything, dodging bullets as he did it. Jeonghan saw the dark grey sky above him fade to nothing as he lost his consciousness. 

"Jeonghan!"

Jeonghan shot awake, he was bathing in his own sweat. His breathing was out of control. He tried to catch his breath as he processed his dream. 

The first memory he ever had. 

It haunted him in his dreams, that same voice occuring every single time. Jeonghan had no clue whatsoever who it could be. 

He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. It was then that he noticed how the roses that were supposed to stay on his upper arm, were growing and blooming towards his forearm.

 

Dinner that night was rather quiet. Mingyu looked as if he had cried a lot. Joshua seemed emotionally wrecked. And Jihoon... Jihoon looked as if nothing had happened at all.

It was when they sat at the fireplace, that it all began. 

"Let's have a drink." Jihoon suddenly announced. 

All heads turned to him. Mingyu took the word. "Seventeen, a glass of whiskey, a glass of brandy and two glasses of wine, one red and one white. You know which years to take." He ordered. The butler nodded and left the room. 

Jeonghan felt weird that they were commanding people like that. They called them by number, not even name. The butler came back quickly after, with exactly the ones Mingyu had requested. 

"The white wine is for you, Jeonghan. You used to love that one." Jihoon said, with a look that was almost friendly. Jeonghan nodded as he took the glass.

Joshua took the red wine and Mingyu the brandy. 

"It slows the ageing process." He whispered to Jeonghan with a goofy smile. Jeonghan had to laugh with that, because Mingyu was just very precious. 

"To Jeonghan's return." Jihoon said as he elegantly raised his glass. The rest of them did the same, and Jeonghan repeated what they did out of pure habit. He was about to take a sip when the bell rang. 

"Gyu, dragons!" Jihoon said immediatly as he raised his voice. They left the room so quickly that Jeonghan felt scared. Joshua noticed. 

"There's someone else invited. It's to test your memory, to see if it brings something back. The dragons are very distrusting towards strangers, although he's not really a stranger." Joshua explained.

"Shua, I don't even know Jihoon and Mingyu. How do I trust someone I don't know? What's happening? Why did no one tell me?" Jeonghan whispered through his teeth.

Footsteps were approaching from afar. Jeonghan felt nervous to see this new guest. So nervous that it made him feel naesous. "Han, it's going to be okay. Just calm down. Deep breaths." Shua said as he stroked his back. Jeonghan tried to calm down.

Everything was moving faster than he could follow.

 

But then, time stood still.

 

Jeonghan felt an incredible sensation of faded feelings washing over him as the guest walked into the room. They locked eyes.

His eyes were brown, they showed hope, relief and something Jeonghan couldn't place yet. They showed kindness, and memories. 

Memories that tried to return to Jeonghan's head.  
To his heart.

 

"Jeonghan." The man said, softer than a whisper.

"I know you." Jeonghan said as he stood up, tears coming to his eyes for a reason he couldn't explain, "I know you." 

The man's eyes lit up. He took a step closer. "Who am I?" He asked carefully.

"You're the voice. My first ever memory. You're the voice that kept shouting my name, it was you. Did you- Did you go to war with me?" Jeonghan asked, curious to what this man had meant to him. 

"He remembers. But nothing that took place before the accident." Jihoon said to the man, who nodded in response. 

"We should sit down first. What're you having?" Jihoon asked.

The man didn't take his eyes off of Jeonghan as he said: "Nothing, not tonight."

 

The fireplace gave warmth to Jeonghan as he sat on the sofa next to Joshua. His bestfriend was acting strangely close with him. Something he didn't do before. Maybe it was the man's presence that made him nervous. Maybe he had history that Jeonghan didn't know of yet with the man from his past. 

"My name is Coups." He said, "We used to be close."

"In what way?" Jeonghan asked, his curiousity taking over.

"Close, just close. We told eachother everything." Coups said. He seemed to have a hard time with talking about it. 

"Must've been nice." Jeonghan responded, "But how come Shua is my bestfriend and you are not? Why would I share everything with you if I already have a bestfriend?"

Joshua laughed and so did Mingyu. 

Coups didn't however, he just looked at Joshua and waited for him to stop.

"We have a bond that was different from friendship. It was stronger. It brought you here." Coups said, focussing on Jeonghan again.

Jeonghan nodded as a sign for him to continue. 

"It's unexplainable, yet it makes perfect sense. Have you ever experienced a feeling that made you want to get out there and look for something?" He asked.

"Yes, but it's very vague." Jeonghan explained, "It's like a fading burn in my chest." 

Coups nodded. "I understand, only what I experience is a little more intense."

"Does it hurt a lot?" Jeonghan asked. It shocked him how natural it came. 

Coups nodded again. "Sometimes it's so bad that I can't sleep. But now I feel fine. It's gone. It's because we are reunited."

Jeonghan felt the pressure on his shoulders as they all looked at him. He took a deep breath. "Look, I just want to make this clear before anyone gets ideas. My family lives in Papaver Somniferum, and I'm not going to stay here for a long time. I don't want to disappoint, but what if my memory doesn't return?" He said.

"Then we'll let you go." Coups said softly.

Everyone could hear the heartbreak in his voice. Even Jeonghan. 

"I'll try my best, okay. I really will. I want to remember too. But it might not come back. And I don't want to hurt you people." He answered. 

Joshua stroked his back gently. "Trying is good enough." He said. 

Jeonghan smiled at Joshua. He was grateful to have met such a good friend along the way. But these people he didn't know, they expected things from him he couldn't provide. It made him feel pressured, and the atmosphere became too tense for him.

"I'm so sorry, but this is all very overwhelming. I think I'm going to call it a night." Jeonghan said politely. 

"That's alright. We'll be here tomorrow too. Maybe you can meet Princess then!" Mingyu said with a sad smile. Jeonghan returned the smile.

"I'd love to." He said, glancing at Jihoon, to make sure he knew that he was on Mingyu's side.

Joshua chuckled at that. "C'mon, Han, let's go." He said as he took the last sip out of his glass. He stood up and reached out to Jeonghan. 

Jeonghan noticed how Coups tensed up. He tried to ignore it and took Joshua's hand, allowing him to lead him towards the doors. 

"Seventeen, escort Jeonghan to his room." Jihoon ordered. 

Joshua turned around with a frown on his face. "What's the problem?" He spat.

"It's fine, Shua-"

"We just need to talk to you. Calm down." Jihoon said. 

Jeonghan let go of Joshua's hand and gave him a hug before following Seventeen to his room. 

 

The walls of their mansion were thick, no sound got through. But the ceilings weren't, and Jeonghan layed in bed, as he listened to the entire conversation. 

"What's going on between you two?"   
"That's none of your business, Coups."  
"There's probably nothing anyways, right Shua?"  
...  
"Shua?"  
...  
"You like him."  
"No, I don't! Shut the fuck up, Jihoon!"  
"Yes, you do. I've known you longer than today, Josh. I know when you're lying."  
"Do you like him, yes or no?"  
...  
"Yeah..."  
"You're fucking disgusting."  
"Excuse me? How is he disgusting, Coups?"  
"He's taking advantage of Jeonghan. He doesn't remember so he has a shot. But guess what you senseless bastard, you'll never kiss him like I used to!"  
"Well, he doesn't have a clue who you are, Coups! It's me he trusts, let's not forget that!"  
"You really wanna go there?! Have you spent years searching for him?! Have you been dealing with fucking insomnia because of it?! No! You just hated him because you couldn't handle the pain of losing your brother!"  
"Fuck you! Fuck you, for real! Nothing of what you two had in the past matters anymore 'cause it's gone, Coups! It's gone and it's probably never coming back 'cause Nocturne is dead!"

Jeonghan arrived at breakfast the next morning, dressed up in some of his more decent clothes. He had taken his journal with him, so he could write more in it. He missed Hansol and Seungkwan so badly. They felt like home. When they were around, he was sure that he was safe.

This mansion was just a chaos of memories he didn't have.

The table in the dining room was filled with all kinds of foods. There was bread, soup, all kinds of cheese, milk, fresh orange juice, water, coffee, fruits and scrambled eggs with bacon. The table was decorated with white flowers. Lots of them. 

Jihoon was reading the newspaper as he drank his cup of coffee. They ate from porcelain plates and drank from porcelain cups. Their cutlery was definitely silver. Jeonghan walked into the room and sat down in one of the soft chairs. 

"Goodmorning Han!" Mingyu said cheerfully. He was dressed in some type of strong training armor. Jeonghan noticed the lovebites in his neck as well. He glanced at Jihoon, who was peacefully reading his newspaper.

Mingyu noticed and laughed. He winked at Jeonghan and the boy's mouth fell open. He felt amused by their unusual chemistry. 

"Goodmorning." He said with a smile. 

"Are you ready to go see the dragons after breakfast? Oh my god, Princess is just gonna love you! I mean, she can be a brat at first, but she's kindhearted, really!" Mingyu said proudly. Someone else entered the room too.

"Mingyu, love, be careful with Baldur please. You know how he gets around strangers." Jihoon said as he looked up. His voice sounded gentle and loving. It felt nice to see Mingyu beam like that, he looked so happy.

"Well, it shouldn't be a problem. Jeonghan isn't a stranger for them after all. But they'll have to get used to you again. But we'll work it out." Mingyu said happily, before taking a bite out of his toast.

Joshua sat down on the other end of the table. Jeonghan gasped as he saw Joshua's split lip. He had a bruise above his left eyebrow as well. 

"What happened?" He asked immediately. 

Jihoon looked up from his paper, Mingyu laid his toast on his plate. 

"I, uh..." He started. 

"Did Coups do this to you?" 

Joshua remained silent. Jeonghan had heard enough. He stood up.

"Where is he?" He asked, his voice filled with determination. 

Mingyu hesitated to speak, and Jihoon seemed to doubt too.

"The cave, near the beach. He's always there when you can't find him. I'll have Thirteen escort you there." Jihoon then said. He still seemed to be convincing himself of his own desicion as a butler stepped forward. 

 

The wind blew the rain in his face as he stood on the edge of the cliff. Thirteen had just dropped him there and he was already heading back before Jeonghan could ask questions. The waves crashed against the rocks below him. 

He shivered. It was cold. 

The rain kept pouring down from the sky. Coups was nowhere to be seen. He breathed in the cold air as he watched the ocean. It was storming. What would Coups do out here? What was there to do?

Jeonghan decided to look for him. He wasn't just going to stand there. He needed to talk to him. About what he did to Joshua, and about everything he had heard last night. 

"Coups! Coups! Where are you?!" He shouted, as loud as he could. 

He kept walking through the rain. His clothes were getting soaked, but he had to find Coups. He wasn't going to give up. 

"Coups!" He shouted again. The rain became heavier, the raindrops falling onto his face like dragon tears. 

Dragon tears.

Jeonghan looked up into the sky. Above the clouds, where they were at their darkest, flew a dragon. It wasn't raining! The dragon was crying!

"Jeonghan?!" Someone yelled. He turned to the voice and recognized Coups, "What are you doing here?!" 

"I needed to talk to you!" Jeonghan answered. Coups ran over to him.

"C'mon, I'll take you to the cave where it's dry and warm." Coups said as he took off his cape. He wrapped it around Jeonghan's shoulders and placed the hood on his head.

The look in his eyes was so gentle and soft. Jeonghan felt the warmth within spread through his body. "Thank you." He said softly. How could a man so generous be so agressive? 

He followed Coups down the hill. He led him to a small path on the side of the cliff. The waves crashed against the rocks beneath it in threatening ways. 

Coups took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "You're safe, it's okay. Just follow me. You'll be alright. I promise." He said.

Jeonghan nodded and slowly followed him. He tightened the grip on Coups' hand in fear, and the other didn't seem to mind. A big wave approached the cliff and Jeonghan felt the fear speeding through his veins. "Coups! Coups! Wave!" 

"Don't move! Hold on to me!" He yelled. The wave broke into a thousand waterdrops as it met the walls of the cliff. Jeonghan had his eyes closed in fear. He could feel Coups' thumb stroking the back of his hand, in attempt to calm him down. 

The freezing cold wave hit him and his pants were soaked. Jeonghan yelled in shock. 

"Han, you're safe, it's okay!" Coups yelled. 

Jeonghan was panting and his heart was racing. He looked at Coups. His eyes were calm and somehow... loving. Jeonghan felt himself calm down slowly as they looked at eachother. "Don't let me go, Coups. Please." He said, a tear slipping down his cheek.

"I never will, I promise." Coups said, a sad smile appearing on his face. 

They walked down the path together and finally, arrived in the cave.

The cave, was a hole in the cliffside. It looked out on the ocean. There was a firepit a few metres away from the edge. There was an old sofa too, and it could be made into a bed. Jeonghan felt nostalgic about the place and he walked over to the sofa. 

His fingers ran over the fabric and he could feel his heart long for it's lost memories. 

"Han, here, wear these." Coups suddenly said.

Jeonghan turned to him and looked at the clothes he offered. They were Coups' and he wanted to decline, but he was freezing. 

"It's Jeonghan to you." Jeonghan said as he took the clothes. He waited for Coups to turn around, but he didn't.

Fortunately, Coups got the hint. "Right. We're... yeah." 

He turned around and Jeonghan changed into the dry clothes. They felt warm, and they smelled... like vanilla?

"Did I do something wrong?" Coups asked as he slid his hands into his pockets.

"You hit my bestfriend, Coups! Why would you do that? He's a nice guy! He didn't do anything wrong." Jeonghan said, as he pulled the hoodie over the new shirt. 

Coups turned around immediately. The kind look in his eyes was gone. This was anger.  
Anger and pain.

He walked over to Jeonghan, grabbed his wrists and pinned him against the cold wall of the cave. He held them tightly with one hand as he wrapped the other around Jeonghan's neck.

Coups was close. Closer than Jeonghan had ever seen him.

He was stuck and he wanted to fight Coups, but he couldn't. It was as if he was captured by a lion. His eyes held so much rage. 

"You don't know your bestfriend, Jeonghan. Not the way you used to. Joshua said unforgivable things yesterday. He wants you, and now that you're weak and naive, he'll do anything to get you. Never ever, doubt my actions again. I'm protecting you here." 

"I know Shua better than I know you! Why are you even protecting me? Do you want me too? Is that it?!" Jeonghan answered harshly.

Coups sighed as tears came to his eyes. He retracted the hands that were wrapped around Jeonghan's neck and released his wrists. 

Immediately, Jeonghan wished that he hadn't said anything at all. 

"I do." He said, a tear slipping down his cheek, "But it's more than that, Han." 

Jeonghan rubbed his wrists. "Continue."

Coups took a deep breath and turned around again. It seemed as if he didn't want Jeonghan to see him crying. 

"Have you heard about souldragons, Han?" He asked, a heavy atmosphere settling in the cave.

"I have." Jeonghan answered. They were one of his favourite species. Souldragons, those who have human soulmates. If the dragon dies, their humans do too. They're by far the most powerful dragons in existence and many envy those who are born with this spiritual connection to the majestic creatures. 

"Good." Coups said. He stayed quiet for a bit. 

"Nocturne fought in the war with us. He fought with us, for us. He never meant to harm anyone who had a good intentions. Nocturne got captured by the Earth soldiers. They forced him to use... He had a gift. They all do. All souldragons do. Nocturne's was to wipe people's memories... They forced him to wipe yours."

Jeonghan gasped as tears came to his eyes. "But- but, Josh said-"

"Joshua doesn't know shit! Nocturne isn't dead! Otherwise I'd be too!" Coups shouted as he turned to Jeonghan, the tears streaming down his face.

"He's dying. He's hurt. But he's not dead." Coups said, his voice trembling.  
"That's why I hit him, Han. He's hurt me in the worst way possible." 

Jeonghan walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. Coups' arms wrapped around his waist, he buried his face in the crook of Jeonghan's neck. 

Jeonghan could feel it approaching. The burn in his chest burning brighter and wilder than ever. He carefully retracted from the hug and came face to face with Coups.

It felt like this moment was endless. There was nothing but them in the world.

Jeonghan carefully leaned in, and their lips connected.

An explosion formed within Jeonghan, the overwhelming relief cleared the fog in his mind. It was all crystal clear now. The emptiness in his soul had been filled by the one he had desired most.

"Seungcheol."


End file.
